Shattered
by I.Dream.Of.Hardyz
Summary: He came into her life with the sound of shattered glass, he returned to her life with the sound of shattered glass, and then he left her life again with the same noise.


**I've got writers block, and I'm trying to work through it, so somehow this came about. I have no idea how. But I hope you like it.**

 **Let me know what you think. Enjoy!**

* * *

He came into her life with the sound of shattered glass, he returned to her life with the sound of shattered glass, and then he left her life again with the same noise.

Ally Dawson was working part time at a department store one summer when she met Austin Moon for the first time. He worked in the department adjacent to hers; meaning that often their shipments got mixed up and they had to deliver each others over to the area. She'd never seen him before, but then again, she'd only been there a couple weeks. Minding her own business, leveling the houseware section, she only heard a few vulgar words spoken before a tiny earthquake erupted behind her, then the sound of glass shattering.

In a panicked state, she whirled around with a lamp, ready to use it.

On the floor, surrounded by both broken lamps and curtains (whose idea was to put those in the same aisle?) sat a lanky blond dude with widened eyes, "What the hell are you going to do with that?" he demanded, inching away best he could despite the broken glass around him.

She glanced at the lamp in her hand, wondering the same thing. "You scared me," she defended lamely, putting it back onto the shelf and offering her hand. "What were you doing?"

He raised his eyebrows at her hand, and then cautiously took it. He then pointed to a box that had landed on the shelf perfectly where the other objects had been. "You had a box on my section. I was bringing over. I was looking for Dallas, but I found you instead. Sorry. I'm a little clumsy sometimes."

She smiled ruefully. "A little?"

He glanced down at the carnage below him, cringing at the number of broken objects. With a shuffle of his shoulders, he only grinned. "It's an art form."

"I'm Ally. Are you new too?"

"Yep. Started last week." He looked over her shoulder and then smiled a second time. "The name is Austin. Sorry."

"It's okay. I guess we should work on getting this cleaned up…"

He nodded, "I'll be more careful next time."

 _Shattered_

Ally was 21-years-old, on vacation from college, and loving the freedom she felt at home. There was something magical about working back at that old department store she'd worked in years ago, having the nights to herself and the girls (Cassidy, Trish, and Carrie were the best little group she could ask for), and enjoying the Miami air. She liked up North for school, but it was cold so much of the year. She missed the sand, the surf, and the all around feel.

She sat on her balcony that overlooked the ocean, watching the waves glisten under the moonlight. It was all kinds of beautiful. And peaceful. Ally reopened her song book, something she hadn't touched in a while, not since then… at least. She was all ready to begin to write something new when she thought she heard a noise. Looking over her shoulder toward her bedroom, she didn't see anyone, or any sign of what she might've heard.

Back on the comfy outdoor chair, Ally stared off at the ocean, her mind gliding back in time to a few summers ago when she fell hard for the blond, clumsy boy from the stock room section who always managed to make her smile. He was only there for a short while, a blip in time at best, but she remembered their memories fondly. He showed her so much in the period of two short months. Just below her on the sand she could remember kissing him for the first time; her first kiss, too. How wonderful it had been under the hot July moon where everything seemed perfect and carefree, just how teenage love stories should be.

She wondered if that was what she should continue to make music to. Her lyrics matched that time period and it was a happy one, so why not?

Behind her, something shattered. Ally screamed, not expecting the window next to her balcony to break into a million pieces, and she tried to control her breathing long enough to look inside of her room. Nothing was there.

"What light … something like that… shit… Ally?"

No way.

Ally glanced over the side of her balcony where Austin was standing with a few stones in his hands, and a sheepish smile on his face. She remembered it similar to the one that she first saw all those years ago. Gone was the lanky, doofy teenager that she'd fallen so hard for. Replaced was a young, filled out man who still had clear, pure eyes that she loved so much. Her heart was jumping with excitement, but confusion as well.

"Austin?"

"I was trying to be all romantic, but I think I owe your parents a few hundred bucks now."

She couldn't find the words to answer him, just smiled back at his small figure.

"It's a good thing that I'm working back at the store this summer. I'll make it in no time."

She laughed at the comment then raised her finger to him, rushing from inside of her house and out the back door, where she ran into his arms and demanded an explanation. He said he was back from school, like her, for the first time in years. His parents were divorced so it was the first time he was down in Miami since the last time she saw him, when he left her at the end of that summer and said it wouldn't be forever, that she'd see him again. Three summers had passed and her doubt had been replaced with a harder thought process.

Still, there he was.

Without a second thought, she kissed him.

Austin laughed. He then stated, "Guess you missed me." He looked up at the window and cringed, "Did I mention it's an art form?"

 _Shattered_

22-year-old Ally Dawson was a college graduate. She stared at her diploma in her hand with pride in her heart and she wished he was there already so she could celebrate with him. It'd been a long school year without the blond she grew to love so much, but they were both college graduates and it was time to sprout into real adults, with real jobs.

She wanted to work with music, not to anyone's surprise, and Austin was looking into doing music on the side, while he worked on looking for a job otherwise. He liked music, but wanted to pursue it in a more direct role. He wanted to be a rockstar. Ally wanted to teach music at her parents' store, so she was set there.

She sat down on the balcony of her room and stared out at the ocean.

Life was good.

A few hours later, and she was standing in one of their favorite places, the boardwalk near the rocky part of the beach. She watched as he pulled up in the beat up old car that he loved so much (it had character) and she smiled. How time had grown them, how much love she had for the blond sitting in the driver's side.

He didn't do more than wave as he parked and she let that only break her for a second. He was probably nervous; she knew that she was too. She loved him so much, but there was something about seeing someone again after an absence that always felt a bit off.

Or maybe she should've listened to her heart.

He exited the car and walked up to her, an apprehensive smile on his face.

"Hey," he whispered, coming forward to press a kiss to her lips.

She felt it then. Something was wrong.

"What is it?"

"What?" he asked, trying to hide what was desperately clear. He sighed finally, "I got a job offer. A temporary record deal. If the guy likes what he sees, he'll offer me another one."

"That's great!" she smiled, "Where? I'm sure you'll get the full time deal, too! Wait, why does that make you sad?"

"Because it's all the way out in LA." He fiddled his fingers over hers, making her heart lurch with pain all over again. It felt like she was saying goodbye at 17, watching him walk down the sidewalk and leaving her, knowing that it would be a long time before she saw him again. LA was great for the music scene, he would meet people who could help him get where he wanted. But it was so far from Miami, so far from her. She had a job here, a life, one that she loved.

It all managed to fall apart in seconds, "I won't take it; I don't want to leave you."

"Austin, you can't stop your career because of me. I won't let you."

"But what we have is something special," he defended, and she sighed.

It was. It really was.

But she knew how much music meant to him and she didn't want to be the person that held him back, even for a moment.

"I'll have to leave in a week or so…"

She nodded, trying to put on a tough face. "Okay. We'll make the most of it."

He gripped her tighter, and she started to sob into his shoulder.

"It feels as if my heart is shattering into a million pieces…" she sniffled, trying not to make him feel too bad. "But I know it's what is best for you."

He gave her a pained, twisted smile. "It's an art form, you know?"


End file.
